Asha Parekh Birthday: Celebrating Her Three Decades of Hits

She is the first actress I fell in love with during my school days. However, later I realized that it was not love but the obsession and madness of fans for their stars. If I have been a true fan of anyone and still am, it is this actress whom the world knows as Asha Parekh. I have seen every movie of hers, right from her first movie 'Dil De Kar Dekho' starring Shammi Kapoor to her last movie 'Kalia' in which she played the role of Amitabh Bachchan's mother.

Fan's Journey: Asha Parekh's Impact on My Life and Career

I used to go to every studio where she was shooting. To be honest, I used to stalk her and did so for years until I got a job in the industry. I went absolutely crazy when my boss told me that he was taking me to see Asha Parekh's film shoot. The girl I loved was also a fan of Asha Parekh and I was waiting for the time when I would impress her by showing her my photo with Asha Parekh and her autograph. But my cruel and heartless boss said that it would lower the dignity of a journalist if I go to ask for a photo or autograph from a star. I used to read the news about her in the newspaper and see her photograph in every magazine and newspaper. The only person who brought light to my then hopeless life was Asha Parekh and I am admitting this for the first time.

I have been a responsible journalist but still, somewhere deep inside me, there was a madness for Asha Parekh. There were many occasions when I was standing in front of her but could not say anything and my silence created misunderstanding. Asha once told one of my seniors that I seem very arrogant to her and I look at her the way Pran Sahab used to look at her in films. I felt very bad on hearing this. Slowly we started talking and we got to know each other. I have seen her grow from a glamorous heroine to a serious actress. She is very interested in social service. Many political parties also asked her to join politics but she refused. Asha has also been the chairperson of Screen Awards.

She was also appointed the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification and did a great job in the matter of censorship. She also directed a few TV serials but she slowly realized that it was all a game of TRP ratings and she stopped making serials. Asha has shifted from her Juhu bungalow to a luxurious apartment where many of her good friends keep coming and going. Recently she attended the International Film Festival in Goa where she talked about today's films and films of the past.

their secrets

What is the secret? There is no secret. God has made me the way I am. I have always believed in God. Whatever has happened in my life, whatever I have achieved is only and only because of God's grace. God has always been very kind to me. He has always shown me the right path. If he was not there, I would not have been what I am today. That is why I want to thank God.

what is his position today?

Whatever talent I have, it is God's gift to me. I have always been good at dancing. I think it was my destiny to become an actress and I became one. I have given my hundred percent to become a good actress. I always believe in learning and there are many things that I have learned while shooting for a film. Life is the best teacher, it teaches you better than any book or teacher.

Satisfaction

If you do both hard work and patience while doing any work, then you will definitely get the result. I got recognition after films like 'Do Badan', 'Mera Gaon Mera Desh', 'Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki', 'Kati Patang', people praised me.

About the competition

I have always tried to do justice to my character. I have never compared myself with any other actress. I never wanted to be a part of any competition. I have always been happy with my career and I feel that you get what you deserve and what God has planned for you. I am always happy in every situation and when you can be happy in every situation then what else do you need.

 about women today

I don't consider myself capable of taking any decision. But still, I feel that in our time, actresses used to get to play good and good roles. At that time our directors and writers used to create good roles for women. But in today's time, there are hardly any films where a female character gets a chance to play a lead role. We were very lucky that we got a chance to play real-life characters along with glamorous ones. I see many such actresses who have the potential to do a lot of good things but they don't get roles that do justice to their potential.

About your favourite director

In our time, directors were adept at making different films and there were some directors who portrayed the characters of actresses on screen very well. I consider myself lucky to have worked with directors like Raj Khosla, Vijay Anand, Manoj Kumar, Shakti Samanta. I think now God has stopped making such directors. They used to have very deep and great knowledge about scripts, characters etc. They knew both the strong and weak sides of a woman. They knew how to behave with their actresses, how to make their characters better. And most importantly, they both took care of and respected their actresses.

on the subject of today's movies

I don't watch many movies. Nowadays all kinds of movies are made. A lot has changed in the industry. It feels like I am living in a different era in another country. We live in the country that makes the most movies in the world. Then what is the use if the quality of the movies is not good? We are focusing on quantity but not on quality. We should not make movies forgetting our Indian culture, Indian civilization. I have a small suggestion for all filmmakers they should make movies on good subjects and work with good writers. If the writers are not good then the movie will not be good. But still I hope that the situation will improve because I am very optimistic. Among the young directors, I have a lot of hopes from Sooraj Barjatya, Priyadarshan and Karan Johar, who will take Hindi cinema to a very bright future.

About censorship

I think censorship should start from home where parents should keep an eye on what kind of movies their children are watching. There should be no political interference in the matter of the censor board. I think censorship can first be done by our script writers and filmmakers. When they are making a film, they should have a responsibility that they will give some message to the whole country through their film. The day we make films with this responsibility, there will be no fear of the censor board.

the desire to do

I will do a film in which my role will be appropriate and right according to my age and will give me satisfaction as an actress. I would like to work even at this stage of my life. When asked about a biopic on her, whether she would like a film to be made on her and if she wants, which actress would she like to play her character, she named Alia Bhatt. The book 'Hit Girl' written on her also talks about the affair between her and filmmaker Nasir Hussain, with whom Asha has done the most films.